Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) Forward Funding bid

In the summer of 2017, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) announced a national £2.3 billion investment in infrastructure for new housing through the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF). The HIF has been set up to help fund vital physical infrastructure projects like the building of roads, bridges, energy networks and other utilities. Funding will also be available to help build new schools, healthcare centers and digital infrastructure to accommodate growing communities and alleviate pressure on public services.

East Sussex County Council working closely with Wealden District Council submitted a joint Expression of Interest (EoI) on 28 September 2017 to the DCLG for a £32 million capital funding request. If the EoI is approved, then we will be asked to prepare a more detailed business case from November 2017 to March 2018, with decisions on funding awards expected to be made by Government in the summer 2018. The East Sussex EoI is titled 'Accelerating Wealden Delivery (AWD)' and will deliver three key elements to unlocking and accelerating housing growth in the Wealden area. These are (i) mitigation of nitrogen deposition in Ashdown Forest (ii) delivering a new Primary school in Hailsham and (iii) improvements to the A22/A295 movement and access corridor with public transport improvements. This will help unlock and accelerate 4,500 homes all within the current plan period up to 2028 across Wealden, principally in the Hailsham area.